When one of the world’s pioneering DJs comes calling, you don’t just say hello – you make sure you’re going bananas in the front row

For the past 18 months, British DJ Simon Green aka Bonobo has been touring the world with his latest studio album, North Borders (2013). As of November this year, Bonobo and his 12-piece band have travelled 180,000 miles, done 175 shows in 30 countries across three continents in front of two million people, including at Glastonbury and Alexandra Palace in London.

Insane, right? Green, already busy putting together his new EP Flashlight, doesn’t seem to think so. “Having the opportunity to see cool places around the world was fun. [American singer-songwriter] Erykah Badu sang with me at a sold-out show in San Francisco, which was really fun. And performing two nights at the Sydney Opera House stands out to me. It was just a good way to expose people to the music,” he says.

Pulling off a series of live sets with such air is the mark of a musician at the peak of his powers, particularly when the music is ambient electronica/downtempo. But he chooses to defy genres and labels, swinging between jazz, trip hop and deep house with practiced, instinctive ease. “[My music] is really a combination of my influences, mostly informed by hip hop and electronica and everything in between. It’s never going to be easy for me to categorize my music and I think that’s true for most artists.”

Which is a fair point at the turn of this century: when the processes of music-making change, so will the sound and accompanying nomenclature. Yet, within this flux, there’s a rare, enduring quality to his music. It’s a combination of melody and bass that doesn’t get old. Listen to his 2000 album Animal Magic, and you’ll hear resonance with more recent tracks like “Cirrus” and “Kiara”. It’s not repetitive; it’s work in progress, he’d tell you.

Now, he brings to India a six-piece band, music from his entire 15-year career, and the possibility of new tunes. “I’ve been excited to come to India all my life. I’m expecting to absorb the culture and to see what it’s all about: the people, the food, the community. And to experience it as a performer is so unique,” he says. Right back atcha, Simon.

Bonobo will be playing at Mehboob Studios, Bandra, Mumbai on December 13 as part of Johnnie Walker The Journey. He will be joined by New York-based Grammy award-winners Snarky Puppy and Welsh singer Paul Potts.